Humans on Mars: Mars and Beyond

The purpose of this collection is not to discuss the technologies required for the round trip. Nor is it to discuss the "inevitability` of human quest to explore. Instead, the focus is on "what will happen` when the humans reach Mars.

When the "white men` arrived on the new (American) continent, they brought much of their own culture and world view with them. Despite the existence of natives who were already living there, the newcomers began to establish the institutions they imported. And those new institutions were to the detriment of the existing natives. That did not stop the newcomers, nor, by-and-large, saddled them with moralistic issues.

Mars, to our current knowledge, does not contain any native populations. However, the Earthlings arriving there, once again, will bring their own institutions with them. In this case, we may even surmise, more than one system, given the proliferation of space technology among nations of diverse backgrounds. That also means there will be more than one culture, as well as Governance method. Does that herald a clash of cultures and Governance modes? At that point, it becomes necessary to spend some overview time, looking at the behavior on Earth.

This is not to suggest that there are inherent ideologies specific to certain lands. On the other hand, there are the historical examples that keep repeating, because the humans living on those lands wish that circle of life. That circle may be easily renewed, since there is air to breathe, and water to drink on Earth lands. Those two elements are either scarce or as yet non-extant on Mars. That means, if colonies are to be established on Mars, both must be generated artificially, safely and continuously. Technological journals have been filled with articles showing how those aims could be accomplished, albeit expensively. On the other hand, we do not yet know, if the different cultures that are preparing to colonize Mars have agreed to collaborate when they arrive on Mars.

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